The Back 40 Trails opened in Bella Vista in October 2016, ten years ago this month. Crews built them in nine months, and the city calls that pace record-fast. The city is holding a free birthday party at OZ Trails Bike Park on Thursday, Oct. 22. OZ Trails Bike Park opened this summer and got most of the attention, but it sits at the end of a line that starts with the Back 40. The older trails are open to the public from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and walkers are allowed.
Fifteen miles, nine months, one visiting summit
The Back 40 was built against a deadline. The city says the trails opened in time to be shown off at an international mountain biking event held in Northwest Arkansas that year. Mountain Flyer magazine's coverage from November 2016 identifies that event as the IMBA World Summit in Bentonville.
The opening announcement on Discover Bella Vista described a 15-mile first section of a planned 40-mile system. Today the city puts the Back 40 at nearly 40 miles. OZ Trails describes the layout as a 21-mile Back 40 Loop around the whole network, with more singletrack crossing the interior.
Two trail-building firms are on the record. Discover Bella Vista credits Progressive Trail Design with building about half of the Back 40. It credits Rock Solid with named sections including Danger Will Robinson, Down Under and Landline. The city's own account is less formal. It says the system was "dreamed up by a few and made possible by a few more," and thanks everyone involved, "from grants to ideas to volunteer labor out there on a Saturday with a weed eater or a pair of loppers."
What grew around it
The city's anniversary announcement links the Back 40 directly to what came after:
"What started as a few shovels in the ground on a cold January day transformed Bella Vista to a city with more than 100 miles of trails and the state's first ever lift-served bike park."
That line comes from the city of Bella Vista's announcement, which KNWA reported on Sept. 10. The city also says the Back 40 "changed some people's lives, and even made history at the state level."
Here is how the last decade lines up, using dates from the city and OZ Trails:
- October 2016: The Back 40 opens after nine months of construction.
- The years since: The system grows from the first 15-mile section to nearly 40 miles. The newer Wonderland trails climb above Lake Bella Vista near the old Wonderland Cave, and sections of Rago are rebuilt with new rock features and jumps.
- June 12, 2026: OZ Trails Bike Park opens at Highway 71 and Mercy Way on the Bentonville–Bella Vista border. It is Arkansas' first chairlift-served mountain bike park, with more than 20 miles of gravity trail.
- Underway now: The Razorback Regional Greenway is being extended from Sugar Creek Park to the Blue Bird Trailhead. The extension will connect the east and west sides of Bella Vista and give direct access to the bike park.
OZ Trails says that once the Greenway extension is finished, the Back 40, Little Sugar, Blowing Springs, the bike park, Slaughter Pen and Coler "will all sit on one paved line." You can already ride to the Back 40 from Slaughter Pen by way of the Greenway and Blowing Springs.
The party on Oct. 22, and the ten days before it
The Back 40 Birthday Bash starts at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, at OZ Trails Bike Park. At 6 p.m., a panel of original trail designers and builders will talk about building the whole system in record time, the problems they ran into, and some stories the city says "you may not have ever heard." The city's announcement also teases the question "what does SBAT mean, anyway?" SBAT is the name of a 2.33-mile intermediate trail on the Back 40. We couldn't find a published explanation of the name, so the panel may be the place to hear one.
Admission is free, and the bike park will have food and drink specials and cake. The city asks guests to RSVP so it has a headcount for food and fire code. The RSVP link is on the Birthday Bash event page.
Here is the rest of the schedule leading up to the party:
- Oct. 15: The city announces the winners of its #BVBack40 Instagram photo contest on its @cityofbellavista account. Entries closed Oct. 10.
- Through the celebration: The city is posting clues on its Instagram stories that point to prize tickets hidden along the trails. Find a ticket and contact the city to claim your prize.
- Oct. 15–17: The Wishing Spring Arts and Crafts Festival runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at 8862 W. McNelly Road, according to The Weekly Vista.
Open to walkers, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The city's Back 40 page lists it as open to the public from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The trails were designed and built for mountain biking, but walkers are allowed too. You can pick up a printed pocket map at City Hall, 101 Town Center, or at local bike and running shops.
Your trailhead decides how easy the visit is. The facilities below come from Hike NWA's trailhead listings:
| Trailhead | Parking | Restroom |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Ann | Medium, paved | Portable toilet |
| Blowing Springs | Large, paved | Portable toilet |
| Bear Hollow | Medium, paved | Portable toilet |
| Tower | Small, gravel | None |
| Metfield Skills Park | Large, paved | Full restrooms |
None of those listings mentions drinking water, and OZ Trails advises bringing extra. If you want to start in the middle of the system, OZ Trails points to Lake Ann Trailhead. The city places it at Castleford Drive and Wem Lane. From there, Hike NWA lists a moderate 2.23-mile out-and-back to Pinyon Creek and Brittany Dam. That walk is a good fit for an afternoon before the Oct. 22 party.
Where walkers and riders share the dirt
The city's pedestrian rule is broad, but some trails are clearly better for one group than the other. Hike NWA rates 46 Back 40 trails as good to hike. It flags Back 40 Alt Line and Go Ride as trails to avoid on foot. Discover Bella Vista's trail guide notes that Flo Ride has a one-way downhill section, running north to south from York Drive to Castleford, and warns hikers to watch for riders coming downhill there.
A few well-known features are worth knowing before you set out:
- The Ledges: a 2.94-mile trail the city rates expert/advanced. Riders cross karst rock ledges and narrow gaps for about a mile of it.
- Hanging Bridge: a 100-foot section of trail built out from a bluff about 20 feet above the road, on the west side of the loop. You can see it from Highway 71.
- Wonderland: the newer trails above Lake Bella Vista, named for Wonderland Cave. Hike NWA lists ten Wonderland trails as good to hike and six to avoid on foot, including Area 51 and the Mad Hatter lines.
Fall rain matters here. OZ Trails calls the Little Sugar system on the west side of Highway 71 Bella Vista's "go-to all-weather system," and says that's one way it differs from the Back 40. We didn't find an official Back 40 condition report. After a wet week, check with the city or NWA Trailblazers before you drive to a trailhead.
If you live near one of these trailheads and want to know what your home is worth with the Back 40 next door, Roe Team will run a free home valuation and walk you through the numbers. Get a Free Home Valuation.
